She found insufficient evidence, however, that the term “down-low,” would activate “subconscious stereotypes of African American men as violent or dishonest.” The judge found that an “objective observer” could conclude that the terms “drug rip” and “pistol whip,” which the prosecutor used 29 times during closing arguments, were “racially coded” terms that evoked stereotypes of African American men as more likely to engage in violence. RIP LYRICS TRIAL“Each of these slang phrases were introduced into trial in the first instance by the prosecutor,” she wrote. Bryant never used those terms himself, Judge Maier wrote. The slang terms used by the prosecutor included “pistol whip,” “drug rip” and “down-low,” as well as several nicknames. Jackson had argued that, during closing arguments, the prosecution had used “racially coded phrases” that evoked stereotypes of African American men as criminals with a propensity for violence, the judge wrote. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately comment. “It primed the jurors’ implicit bias regarding negative character evaluations of African American men as rap artists and as being associated” with criminal behavior, Judge Maier wrote. They contended that because none of the experts spoke to any of the jurors, “there was no actual measurable evidence to support their opinions” that the prosecution had triggered implicit bias among the jurors, according to the judge.īut Judge Maier cited expert testimony that, she said, supported the men’s argument that, whether purposefully or not, the prosecution’s use of their rap lyrics as evidence of their involvement in the killing and gang membership “premised their convictions on racially discriminatory evidence.” Prosecutors urged the court to disregard the experts’ testimony. In California’s Inland Empire, the anger has turned to widespread action.īeginning last year, the men presented the testimony of an expert in implicit bias and legal rhetoric, an expert in the history, culture and conventions of rap music and racial bias in the legal system and an expert in rap music, including content analysis. Warehouse Moratorium : As warehouse construction balloons nationwide, residents in communities both rural and urban have pushed back.A Piece of Black History Destroyed: Lincoln Heights - a historically Black community in a predominantly white, rural county in Northern California - endured for decades.Bullet Train to Nowhere : Construction of the California high-speed rail system, America’s most ambitious infrastructure project, has become a multi-billion-dollar nightmare.“This case realizes the promise of the California Racial Justice Act, which was designed to prohibit racial bias in policing, prosecution and sentencing,” Ellen McDonnell, the public defender in Contra Costa County, where the convictions were overturned, said in a statement. Although the decision did not hinge on the expansion, it could pave the way for similar challenges, defense lawyers said. He also signed a separate bill that restricted the use of rap lyrics and other creative works as evidence in criminal proceedings. Gavin Newsom signed an expansion of the law last week. The decision was of particular interest because Gov. The ruling was the first by a judge in California to find that the use of rap lyrics violated the Racial Justice Act, a state law signed in 2020 that seeks to prevent racial and ethnic discrimination in criminal trials, Mary McComb, the state public defender, said on Tuesday. What we get on I blow down a whole pound, I know you see me shuttin' shows downĪnd we pickin' up hoes now.A judge in California vacated the murder convictions of two Black men on Monday, finding that the prosecution had most likely injected racial bias into the trial by quoting the men’s rap lyrics and repeating their use of a racial slur, court records show. I wouldn't lie to your face, come and light up a J man! My man had to get up out of this place, now he limpin' in PA, dog I'm happy your safe but. It's like columbine, when I'm droppin' bombs, goin' line for line spittin' this shit faster than RamadanĪny beat they put on, is gettin' smoked like Big LĬooley had nigga with the eyes of a Asian I was three years old, so I really don't remember the day but I remember his face and every night I still remember to pray, and remember the little mistakes that made me spit it this way I ain't even got to mention this skill, because, STEEZ been ahead since he popped out the mamma's womb, and had it locked since they put me in my papa's tomb
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